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A BAN ON the sale and supply of single use plastic containers, utensils and bottles could be brought in by Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council.
A by-law on single-use plastics has been put forward by Fine Gael councillor and barrister Barry Ward. It was approved by the council on Monday.
If brought in, the council would become the first local authority to ban the supply and sale of plastic containers, utensils, bottles and other plastic packaging.
The by-law has been drafted and it is set to be available for a six-week public consultation within the next few weeks, after it is checked legally by the council.
Ward told TheJournal.ie that the aim is to stop food takeaway businesses from using plastic containers and instead switch to cardboard, bamboo and other biodegradable materials.
He said he has already discussed this issue informally with businesses in the area and they are on board with it.
“We don’t expect that we will be able to stop plastic bottles being sold in supermarkets,” said Ward.
“I do think it’s feasible – if you go into McDonald’s at the moment, for example, the only plastic packaging is on the lids of cups, to my knowledge.”
Ward said if non-plastic disposable cup lids could not be sourced, this will be amended in the by-law.
The draft of the by-law currently states that it will be an offence for “any person to sell or otherwise supply” a single-use plastic takeaway product.
Anyone who doesn’t abide by this law could receive a fine of up to €500. Ward said there will be an on-the-spot fine of €50 issued to most, the €500 fine would only apply to those brought to court, which would be seldom.
“This is not about making things difficult for people trying to trade… the focus is about trying to change behaviour,” Ward said.
“The European legislation on single-use plastic is already coming whether we wait or not, we’re just trying to get ahead of it a bit.”
A law to ban single-use plastic items such as plates, cutlery and straws was passed by the European Parliament last year.
These products will be banned in all EU countries by 2021.
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What about single use cable ties used for single use corrugated election posters?
@John Tierney: How many take out boxes are sold a day – 500 thousand? With lots of lunches in polystyrene etc, probably a bit more. I say this because there’s about 500,000 posters per election, so maybe a million cable ties… Now there’s comfortably as much plastic in a take away box as two cable ties, right. So yeah… maybe you’re focusing on the wrong thing and it’s kind of unhelpful? So let’s focus on the problem that’s 365 times bigger, yeah?
@Ciarán Ó Fallúin: But how will he deflect away from the real problem if he’s not allowed to bring up “single use cable ties “………….
@Ciarán Ó Fallúin: keep your pants on yeah? It’s a valid point – the councillors proposing the ban are happy to use non recyclable posters and cable ties every election. At some point you’d like to see them lead by example.
Also, I don’t believe the original comment suggested one or the other – both are possible yeah?
Oh, the outrage!!!
@John Tierney: out of curiosity, how many days are the election posters allowed to stay up after an election? I thought it was three but im thinking I must have it wrong as most ive seen are still there?
@John Tierney: Reusable cable ties are available. I suspect that they are not used because it’s much easier and quicker to cut them then to climb up and release the locking clip. Reusable cable ties should be made mandatory as it would eliminate wastage and reduce costs long term.
@John Tierney: leave cable ties alone
@Daimhín De Naois: It’s 7 days, I believe.
If you see any still up after 7 days, you can report them to the local council for littering.
https://www.dccae.gov.ie/en-ie/environment/topics/waste/litter/Pages/Election-Posters0331-3567.aspx
@John Tierney: cable ties can be recycled and are not food contaminated.
@Darren Byrne: ah ha, I obviously had remembered wrong! Thank you Chris!!
@John Tierney: Cable ties need not be single use … just put a pin in the part where the teeth is and they slide apart with no damage. The elections cable ties they sometimes leave behind on poles are particularly good quality – must restock my collection before they are all taken away :)
@John Tierney: I’m only going to say this once and I’m fairly certain I speak for everyone when I say “paper straws are not the solution”
@Rossa Crowe: hell yes. Paper straws are rank. They’ve begun to disintegrate before you finish your drink. Drinking through soggy cardboard is disgusting. I’m all for banning single use plastic straws, but there must be a better alternative than cardboard.
@Helen Downey: ha true – try drink Mc donalds thick milkshake with those paper straws – absolutely useless – there are 100 major global corporations responsible for 70% of the carbon emissions – until the world can get to grips and take them to task all this other stuff is skirting around the issue in reality
Remarkable how this became such an important environmental issue so soon after China decided they no longer wanted to be the west’s landfill.
@Gordon Comstock: Most stuff comes from there anyway. Bit rich to say they don’t want it back
@Gordon Comstock: didn’t most of that go into the sea.?
So NO minerals unless in Aluminum cans ! Bring back glass bottles.
@Paul Somers: ..compostable packaging and containers
@Paul Somers: aluminum cans have a plastic inner lining and glass takes longer than plastic to biodegrade if not recycled.
@Joey Roche: not true. Glass will not enter the food chain. Can be a habitat for insect and does not need to degrade it’s made from sand not chemicals
Return to glass
Country is awash with it .
@Joey Roche: 95% of aluminum cans are recycled. The plastic is dealt with in the recycling process. Also glass doesn’t biodegrade. It weathers away but bacteria, fungus and other little bugs don’t break it down.
@Quentin Moriarty: glass production and recycling produces a lot more CO2 than aluminium. It also is a lot heavier as a container and has higher emissions for transport.
@Darren Byrne: the glass is there already. the bottles have paid their carbon footprint and are easier to sterilize at high heat and be reused by the companies than plastic melting .
Well, at least it’s not a tax.
@Matt Connolly: don’t worry Matt, that’ll be coming soon!
@Matt Connolly: not yet
Can we not just bring in a ban by X date on anything and everything that has an alternative to plastic and be done with it? It’s like ban a straw here ban a spoon there
If you can’t recycle it here in this country you shouldn’t be allowed sell it. If we used this model for the food and beverage sector. Also make a rule that if Coca Cola produces plastic bottles then they have to take them back. Don’t be passing the burden onto local councils. We should use toughened glass bottles instead of plastic. Our supermarkets should take back all the packaging that the give us when we do our shopping.
@great gael of Eire: it would certainly push manufacturing companies into using less packaging if they had to pay to dispose of it. or it would just drive up the cost as they pass it onto to us
@LittleBee: if they pass on the price then you’ll have a fall in sales. Bearing in mind when they introduced plastic profits went through the roof to the detriment of our environment. What is wrong with a €0.50c deposit scheme on glass bottles.
How are they gonna tax Joe Public for this.
Im sure they will.
All about the money .
There are inexpensive alternatives that many businesses are already using like bamboo utensils and biodegradable containers. It would be good to see more businesses moving towards sustainability.
I walk my glass bottles and jars down to recycle happily and no longer buy minerals in plastic. Sadly, some stores only carry plastic bottled drinks. It’s up to the consumer to refuse to buy single use plastics; get on board people!
@Rathminder: but your glass bottle is producing more Co2 than the plastic once and since both can be recycled wouldn’t it make sense to take the less Co2 intensive option
Also the transportation of the glass bottle has higher emissions because of the extra weight.
https://www.beveragedaily.com/Article/2008/03/17/Study-finds-glass-bottling-produces-similar-carbon-emissions-to-PET.
@Darren Byrne: you can use and reuse glass bottles. Wash and reuse. Forget about emissions think more about our oceans, seas and rivers are clogged with plastic bottles. Plastic that the mineral companies take zero responsibility for. When we eat fish for the sea. Its Its likely we are consuming plastic without realizing it.
@great gael of Eire: Yes I do that with my beer bottled but the op is not. Mistakingly buying glass and recycling thinking it’s better than buying plastic and recycling that.
@Darren Byrne: is that why its has worked so well up to now. The worlds water ways are destroyed with single use plastic. Walk down the road and its everywhere. Recycling plastic has not worked.
Coke never sell recycled bottles. Why not? They don’t care about the environment as long as they keep making money.
Can people not drink out of cups and eat with cutlery off plates? If I’m thirsty when I’m out I just wait til I get where I’m going and then have some tap water. People look ridiculous walking around with drinks all the time. Why was it that 20 years ago people didn’t seem so thirsty?
@SC: They weren’t as big a bunch of a_holes back 20/30 years ago.
Going forward you will be required to hand over your shoe at McDonald’s which will then be stuffed with a Big Mac and fries and Fanta is sprayed into your mouth, ready to swallow at a time of your choosing.
Nice one Barry, keep it up!
Dead right excellent idea went by a river today disgusting amount of plastic
Al plastic should be chipped and ownership taken
Take away coffee cups.
City centre, ask any street cleaners or bin collection staff in the city centre, and they will day that’s the biggest waste. Start with dlr and then city centre.
A change in thinking is required by coffee shops in city centre.
How can you just decide to ban everything plastic? I’m all for it , but I’d prefer if this article stated what was going to replace it. You’re talking about massive changes , but yet the companies that produced plastic have no intention of stopping production till 2040. Their also the same companies that produce our oil gas & coal & they have absolutely no intention of allowing their massive profits to decline!
So with single use plastics, how is this going vto work when is comes to food safety, contamination and containment? Back to news paper wrappings?
@Raven: what’s wrong with newspaper wrappings? the chip shops use them and brown paper bags. while it’s not recyclable they will break down in land fill. folding cardboard boxes can be used as well. there are so many alternatives then plastic. Offer discounts if you use your own tub.
One of our best tourist attractions.
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